Lonely Planet - Lonely Planet French Phrasebook & Dictionary

Though distantly related to English, French is more commonly associated with its Romance language siblings, Italian and Spanish. These languages developed from the Latin spoken by the Romans during their conquests of the 1st century BC. French evolved in a different way to Spanish and Italian though (which even today are relatively similar) comparing the modern forms of these languages gives an idea of just how distinct French is. at a glance ... language name: French name in language:franais fronsay language family: Romance key country: France approximate number of speakers:1st language: 80 million 2nd language: 50 million close relatives: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese donations to English: numerous some estimate three fifths of everyday English vocabulary arrived via French After enjoying the practical advantages of speaking French (being told of a cosy vineyard way off the tourist track, discovering that theres little merit in the cliched reference to the French being rude), youll find the reasons to speak French just keep growing. but perhaps the biggest incentive is that its spoken all around the world. but perhaps the biggest incentive is that its spoken all around the world.

Almost 30 countries cite French as an official language. This doesnt always mean its the only language spoken in a country: in Canada, the use of French is most common in Quebec; in Belgium, its use is more prevalent in the south. Although some of the languages spread is due to Frances colonisation of various countries in Africa, the Pacific and the Caribbean, French remained the language of international diplomacy until the early 20th century (when English began to take over). Its still an official language of a number of international organisations, including the Red Cross, the United Nations and the International Olympic Committee, and if you dont know what par avion means, you havent sent a letter overseas (French is also a language of choice for the international postal system). Need more encouragement? Remember, the contact you make through using French will make your experiences unique. > abbreviations used in this book

There are a couple of exceptions: nasal vowels, the funny u sound and that deep-in-the-throat r , but throwing caution to the wind and mimicking every French accent youve heard can be surprisingly effective. Generally, French vowel sounds are short and dont glide into other vowels. As you order another coffee, listen to fellow patrons and note some of the differences in their pronunciation, like the ay in caf. Its close to the English sound, but its shorter and sharper.

English also has nasal vowels to some extent when you say sing in English, the i is nasalised by the ng. In French though, nasal vowels cause the following nasal consonant sound to be omitted, but a hint of what the implied consonant is can sometimes be heard. Weve used nasal consonant sounds ( m , n , ng ) with the nasal vowel to help you produce the sound with more confidence. Though there are four nasal vowels in French, our pronunciation guide uses only two: o and u . These approximate the actual sounds. The four nasal sounds can be quite close so, to get you out there speaking, weve simplified it this way:

Its made in the back of the throat, a little like a growl. Using an English r sound will get you by, but its one of the sounds that will really help you sound natural its well worth working on. The other consonant sounds can all be found in English.